


Sweet

by pontaii



Series: Whumptober 2020 [5]
Category: Great Pretender (Anime)
Genre: Character Study, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Drug Withdrawal, Drugs, M/M, One Shot, Self-Harm, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Whump, Whumptober 2020, Withdrawal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26873932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pontaii/pseuds/pontaii
Summary: He should've thrown the drugs into the trash, should've at least dropped them where he was standing or stuffed them somewhere and have forgotten about them. But Edamura retreats to his room dumbfounded, his hand clenched around the five Sakura Magic pieces and he senses them so vividly that you'd think their existence was burning him.OrWhat if Sakura Magic was always a real drug?challenge ; Whumptober 2020prompt ; 22 Withdrawal
Relationships: Edamura Makoto/Laurent Thierry
Series: Whumptober 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1953829
Comments: 6
Kudos: 111
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Sweet

**Author's Note:**

> I've wrote this off the top of my head and case one is a bit faded for me so there may be some oopsies (-’๏_๏’-) but I hope you still enjoy!

The first time Laurent forced the small, pink drug down Edamura's throat in Cassano's mansion, Edmaura barely thought it was real. The immediate effect of the drug was lost to him as he connected the dots between Laurent's golden watch, the same watches Kudou and the woman he installed a water purifier for had - though looking back on it, grabbing a gun could have been an overreaction pushed by the drug's effect.

When Edmura runs into Laurent next time on the street after ditching from Cassano's place, he's still absolutely livid. He shouts at Laurent for many things, if Laurent doesn't have any shame for basically conning him into coming to Los Angeles and nearly killing him at Cassano's.

"You forced me to take drugs! Out of anything I do, I had set a line for myself that drugs were out of the picture!" Edamura throws his hands into the air, hopes for some kind of explanation from Laurent, as the man has been standing smug all of the time Edamura's tried to reprimand him for all the stuff he was dragged into today.

But this time Laurent's smug grin drops, not by a lot but it's clear that he's either uncomfortable or unsure. When he claps his hands together, that motion is also quite awkward on the man, "Yeah. Sorry about that."

Edamura waits and is speechless when nothing else comes from Laurent who's just standing there, looking at him through his lashes. But he's stiffened up, his lips almost turned into a frown, "I just had a _thought_ that a more natural reaction would sell Cassano quicker on Sakura Magic - Abby had already tried the thing beforehand. The fact that it was a real drug... kind of slipped my mind– though you can't blame me if they're shaped so convincingly like normal hard-candy!"

Laurent exclaims theatrically as if it would clear him from making Edamura stomach an _actual drug_. Edamura's still reeling, from the realization setting in that he's also now done drugs in one sense or another, hits him in the gut with the notion of a new low.

But it does seem to make Laurent's heart lighter to have just confessed, as the next minute he's getting closer to Edamura again, but the rest of that day runs by quickly when Abby kicks him unconscious - not to mention him waking up upside down, tied to one of the Hollywood letters.

All the while, Edamura feels nothing - nothing in the way he thinks drugs should make him feel, at least according to what he remembers from school where a big notion was put on withdrawals.

As Edamura's pushed into the hotel room Laurent's booked and where he's supposed to stay at, he figures that Sakura Magic could be something like weed, where it's hard to get hooked on it unless you're doing it every day.

Edamura doesn't think that makes it any better, he knows he really shouldn't soften his opinion either. But as he's about to retreat to bed he notices Abby sprawled out on the couch, shaking the container of Sakura Magic in her hand lazily and Edamura remembers Laurent saying something about Abby having taken it more than once.

"Don't you get withdrawals?" It slips out too quickly from Edamura and he bites his tongue too late.

"What?" Abigail lifts her gaze to his, brow raised in genuine question and also annoyance.

This _would've_ been a perfect place for Edamura to shut up and forget his curiosity, leave Abigail to her own devices after the clear displeasure she's shown in him so far. But he doesn't.

"The Sakura Magic, Laurent said you've taken it more than once..?" He asks slower this time, not to offend Abby if she would misunderstand and think that he sees her as a junkie.

"I dunno, all Laurent told me is that it's a new drug, so the people making it still are tuning it's recipe quite often. As much as he scams people, he also does business. But nah, haven't felt anything like withdrawals from this batch," it's the most talkative Edamura's heard her, and when she gets up and shakes the container right in front of him he's even more surprised, "Want one?"

When Edamura stutters and doesn't answer, Abigail doesn't wait for him. She just grabs his hand and shakes out five of the little hard-candy pieces, then wanders off before he can give it back.

He _should've_ thrown the drugs into the trash, should've at least dropped them where he was standing or stuffed them somewhere and have forgotten about them. But Edamura retreats to his room dumbfounded, his hand clenched around the five pieces and he senses them so vividly that you'd think their existence was burning him.

Edamura thinks he won't do it, but he's just prolonging his wait when he turns off the lights and get's under the covers, the candies still in hand. Laying on his back, he singles one out and brings it above his head to observe it in the dim room.

He drops it into his mouth.

There's not as much of jumping around as Abby or he had done back at Cassano's - Abigail was clearly playing it up and Edamura was clearly just too livid. But his body does spasm for a moment before he feels true bliss spreading through him, just as he had seen on Abby when she had finished her act at Cassano's with jumping into the pool. Her face was pulled into something close to ecstasy then and suddenly, Edamura can relate.

He doesn't think when he pops another one into his mouth when the effect of the first one starts to lessen. And then almost immediately the remaining three ones so he doesn't need to monitor when this uplifting feeling fades and he falls asleep before the effects actually wear off.

It's clear that Laurent's won their little bet of who gets Cassano to pay more for the rights to this drug, but Laurent keeps him around just for him to play Dr. Edamura a bit longer - he's also really pushing the idea for Edamura to accept being his assistant of sorts and it's a bit harder to say no each time when Laurent's got a silver tongue.

He physically cannot refuse Laurent anymore when one day the man catches him shaking out another two of the Sakura Magic pieces out into his hand, and Laurent takes the container back to himself - he jokes, that while Cassano's still building up that laboratory in the abandoned factory, just to see how the "original" Dr. Edamura makes it, doesn't mean Edamura should be taking it and rather fully learn the recipe for it.

Till then Edamura's been popping the candy almost every day, though not more then three times a day, so he thinks he will be fine. He has eaten both pieces by the second day, he thinks he will be fine.

The sushi party at Cassano's is coming up when Edamura starts to feel a little bit off, his throat's too dry no matter how much water he drinks, his head hurts as well even if he checks out in good sleep and nourishment. Later he can't even fall asleep and the morning before the party he even thinks he's caught the flu from how much he's sweating.

In the limousine to Cassano's, Laurent notices this when Edamura's being too quiet and shifts around too much. The Frenchman pulls out the Sakura Magic container and shakes one out before putting it to Edamura's lips. Edamura takes it in his hand first, not ready to be fed like a child, rolls the drugs around in his hand and then quickly stomachs it.

It helps for the duration of the party, actually makes him less nervous with all that went down there. But as he retires for the night, he feels his throat is dry again.

When the time comes to make the drugs - Laurent once again reminds him that by just telling Edamura the recipe, he's crossing a few contracts he's made with the real doctors making these drugs and pushes Edamura to really do his best now - Edamura's sweating bullets, half because he's making actual drugs, the other half of him now realizing he's going through withdrawals.

His hands are shaking all throughout the many steps as he preps the drug and he's thankful when he can step away for a moment for the main substance to set in. He's lazing around the back of the factory when Abby and Laurent come around the corner too. It's the Frenchman that shakes the Sakura Magic container in front of his face again.

Edamura slaps it away, although a bit weekly before jumping to his feet in subdued anger, "How come Abby's okay but _I'm_ here shaking as if there's an earthquake happening!?"

He doesn't know who he's even shouting at and the two people around him give varied answers.

"I just had two of the little suckers, no more. You're the one who comes to me to munch on them on the daily now," Abigail spits out her answer first and strides away around the corner with it.

"Edamame, it's _okay_ , everyone has a different tolerance level. What's _not_ going to be okay is you messing up any part of making those drugs with those shaky hands of yours, so, upon wide?" Laurent shakes three pieces out and extends them to Edamura expectantly.

"Isn't three excessive?" He takes the three in his hands.

"It's not like they'll make your fine motor skills any worse than they are now," Lauren doesn't need to convince him much more and he keens when Edamura pops all three pieces into his mouth.

The rest of what happens at the factory is wrapped in fog for Edamura, a happy, joyful fog as he only remembers the good feeling from it. Waking up on a sandy shore with the sun warming him is also a good feeling, especially with a party following it up where he can practically swim in money.

Laurent stays on Cynthia's island long after their many FBI-masquerading con friends, Cynthia and Abigail have left. Edamura leaves as well for some time, almost flies back to Japan but ditches his already bought plane ticket when the security people start looking at him funny.

Edamura doesn't blame them, he is acting strange and he knows why, but he can't admit to his withdrawals again when he willingly still took three pieces of Sakura Magic from Laurent.

He can endure his sore throat, the sweating and the muscle cramps that follow days later. It's been weeks since he has had Sakura Magic and as he lies around in some hotel bed, he thinks he's getting better.

When he looks in the mirror he realizes his neck is raw and covered in scratches from his own nails, it's not far from a bloody sight from the looks of how many times he must have raked his nails there when his sore throat had bothered him so much unconsciously.

Edamura bandages up his neck, drinks a lot of water and eats something to keep him running for a long time before he heads out to find someone willing to get him back to Cynthia's island, even if by boat.

He's almost sure Laurent isn't there anymore when he arrives and searches the small villa, but he searches the place for the Sakura Magic container first and only when he cannot find it does he get the idea to scan the shore.

He does find Laurent there, tanning in the sand with the Sakura Magic container in the blond's hand that Edamura's so been looking for.

"I was wondering where my assistant wandered off to. You sure took your time, I thought you flew off to Japan," Laurent lazily eyes the bandages on Edamura's neck and pats the sand next to him.

"Well, I didn't," Edamura feels like he hasn't talked to anyone for so long that his voice is hoarse when he plops down beside Laurent.

"Did you miss me? Or is the reason you're back here is because you missed the drugs–"

Edamura's already standing up and ready to leave, "Maybe I _should've_ left for Japan–"

Laurent reaches out to Edamura, languidly and stops him from leaving just by tugging on his pants leg, "Edamame, I'm kidding. You don't need to fly so far to get what you want. Lie down, will you?"

Edamura hesitates but it's again just prolonging the inevitable as he does as Laurent asks him to do and soon, without Edamura pushing the thought, Laurent shakes the Sakura Magic container and puts one of the perfect hard-candy imitations to Edamura's lips. Edamura allows this and parts his lips.

It's nice, all the days from then on out are nice when Laurent feeds him the little pieces packed with bliss. It's still nice even if Laurent starts to want something in exchange once the first container is empty and he has to get more, it's nothing Edamura can't manage.

Laurent starts to travel again but Edamura remains on the island when Laurent says he should, says he'll be back soon. Sometimes Laurent really is soon, sometimes even early. But the times when Laurent calls to apologise to his Edamame when there's more work to do or there's a little hiccup in his plans, he tells Edamura that as soon as he's back he can have what he wants.

Laurent takes the Sakura Magic containers with him on his travels, at least Edamura presumes so after Laurent has more work to do abroad and Edamura's searched every spot where Laurent could have hidden the drug only to no avail.

It almost never gets as bad for Edamura to start scratching up his neck again, but the rare times he does Laurent is always there soon enough to kiss his neck better, please him with sweet coos and feed him sweet drugs.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't seen the last two cases and dunno if they would work with this little au, but please if you comment don't leave any spoilers for them as I'm catching up on them :D!


End file.
